The NWSL is shopping a new package of games.
According to a report by Mollie Cahillane of Sports Business Journal, the women’s soccer league wants to lure a buyer for a fifth media rights package that would likely include Sunday night games. Currently, the NWSL has media rights agreements with CBS, ESPN, Amazon’s Prime Video, and ION.
Per the report, the league is talking to new and existing media partners about the package. The NWSL is in Year 2 of the four-year agreements it struck with its four media partners before last season. Those agreements seem to be going well, with each of the league’s four partners already sold out of advertising inventory for this season.
The ratings would indicate that as well. Last year, CBS set a viewership record for the league’s championship game, averaging nearly one million viewers.
Only 62% of the league’s games are tied up in current media rights agreements. That gives the NWSL plenty of inventory to work with when trying to carve out a new package. A hypothetical new package of games would start in the 2026 season.
In terms of the league’s next set of media rights deals, the NWSL plans to begin conversations next year and hopefully take advantage of the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup to boost the league’s popularity when its deals expire following the 2027 season.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.